Two witnesses in the ongoing trial of Senator Ademola Adeleke on a seven-count amended charge bordering on examination malpractice, Wednesday told the Federal High Court Abuja that they did not see the senator in the examination hall.
The witnesses, Emmanuel Adesola and Enoch Adigun, both teachers, while being led in evidence by the prosecutor Simon Lough, separately told the court that they invigilated examinations at Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School in Osun State in 2017.
Adesola told the court that when he got to school, he asked for the school album but was told it was not ready.
He further affirmed that he could not identify any student without the school album since it was my first time there so the principal and the register helped me to identify them as I used the list I had to call the students into the hall.
In his words, “I didn’t see any of the defendants in the examination hall; senator Adeleke was not in the examination hall, he is a public figure so I would have recognised him”.
The witness who told the court that he had been supervising the National Examination Council (NECO) for the past five years also said there were four elderly students in the hall.
Under cross-examination by Alex Iziyon, (SAN), the witness said that he did not make a formal report on the absence of a school album to his superiors even though he ought to have done so.
He explained that on the day he invigilated, he did not witness any form of examination malpractice in the hall.
On his part, Adigun told the court that he saw the second defendant, Sikiru Adeleke in the examination hall while he was invigilating.
Adigun said, “I was surprised to see him because he was the most mature student in the hall but when I checked and saw that he had an identity card duly stamped by the school, I had to allow him write the examination”.
Adigun added that he didn’t see senator Adeleke in the examination hall or any of the other defendant besides Sikiru.
However, after certain legal fireworks, presiding Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the matter to June 10 and 11 for continuation of hearing.
It would be recalled that Adeleke was first arraigned by the Federal Government in September 2018 on a four-count charge bordering on examination malpractice along with his brother, Sikiru Adeleke and three others.
The senator pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on self-recognizance by the court.
The others were Alhaji Aregbesola Mufutau (Principal, Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Ojo-Aro Osun), Gbadamosi Ojo (School Registrar) and Dare Olutope (a teacher).
The police accused them of fraudulently registering Adeleke and his brother Sikiru as students of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School in Ojo-Aro, Osun State, for the National Examination Council in June/July 2017 and Senior School Certificate Examination in February 2017.
They were re-arraigned in December 2018 on a seven-count amended charge bordering on examination malpractice.
